June 4, 2005 -- Replacementsteps will manufacture a mould to fit each single stairway account by its individual measurements as to the width, depth, and height of each stringer, starter kick plate and bull nose.
“ The principle reason for this much greater strength than other stair systems is that the riser on this stair is integral with the tread, and greatly multiplies the strength and stiffness of the uni... ”
Each replacement step incorporates 16 hand-laid fiberglass sheets. There is patented, non-decomposing filler installed at the halfway point that gives tremendous strength and stability to the step. On the final three layers there is a fiberglass L channel that is molded at the step base. This becomes a lock for the next step going into it, and renders the staircase as one piece.
All current forms of exterior stair steps, once installed, are destined to become fatigued products, and last a rather short time due to premature failure caused by several contributing factors. No matter what materials are used, whether it is diamond plate metal, solid concrete, concrete poured in metal pans, or wood, they will never reach a lifespan that justifies the cost.
The average time to replace a 13 to 14 riser stairway with commonly used materials is a minimum of 9 to 10 hours. Due to this, another factor other than time and labor expense can come into play. In certain areas, there are laws and regulations that prohibit the closing down of stairways for more than a few hours. The time for demolition of an existing stairway of 13 to 14 risers, to the time of completion using Replacementsteps is less than 4 hours. This factor adds up to a substantial saving of time and money.
Certain places, due to terrain or other conditions, make it impossible for concrete trucks to get to a site or position themselves to pour a load. Replacementsteps are very easy to move, handle, and install.
Safety problems such as slipping or tripping are not a factor with Replacementsteps because they will not crack or scale. They have a built-in skid finish to protect tenant/guest pedestrians. This is the same skid protection used by the US NAVY on the decks of their aircraft carriers. The steps are interlocked during installation, and as such, act as a single unit from top to bottom, thereby creating superb rigid stability.
Metal and/or concrete exterior stairway lifespan can be as little as seven years. Replacementsteps lifespan is gauged to be 30+ years. And they require virtually no upkeep.
General building codes require step load capacity to be at the 600 lbs. per sq. mark. Replacementsteps have been engineered for superior strength. They have been tested and inspected. Their weight bearing capacity exceeds 1500 lbs. per sq. foot.
George W. Zuurbier, PE, Wytheville, Va. in his inspection states, "The principle reason for this much greater strength than other stair systems is that the riser on this stair is integral with the tread, and greatly multiplies the strength and stiffness of the unit. It is my professional opinion, based on reasonable engineering judgment and the foregoing findings, that this stair system equals or exceeds the expected performance of commercially available units. In view of the exceedingly high factor of safety, there does not appear to be any need for modification, supplemental support, or other changes to the unit as presented."
“I have been in the Property Management Business for 35 years now and have had to replace many stairs in all types of conditions. Stair replacement is one of the most costly rehab items on property assets and is never a pleasant installation. This replacement was done faster and turned out better than any I have even seen done and the probability of the fiberglass meeting a 20 year projection is very high, thus making it a very profitable upgrade. Usually, you could expect to replace the same stairs at least twice during the same time frame plus lots of costly upkeep in between. Also, let me add that these stairs, since 2000, have not had to have one cent spent on upkeep," said Rick Heron, Property Asset Manager, Ambling Management, Inc.
Contact:
Harrison Langdon Ennis
843-222-1217
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